Dec. 31, 2015

University of South Carolina head football coach Will Muschamp has named Lance Thompson as the Gamecocks’ assistant head coach of defense and defensive line coach, it was announced today.

A veteran SEC assistant coach, Thompson spent the 2015 season on Gus Malzahn’s staff at Auburn where he coached the linebackers.

“I’m excited to have Coach Thompson join our staff,” said Coach Muschamp. “He did a great job calling the Auburn defense in their bowl win over Memphis. He has coached multiple positions throughout his career and has a great understanding of our defensive system. He will be an outstanding addition to our staff.”

Ranked as the No. 1 recruiter in the nation on the Ultimate ESPN 300 recruiting power rankings for 2014 when he was coaching at Alabama, and named Rivals National Recruiter of the Year in 2008, also with the Crimson Tide, Thompson was reunited with Muschamp on the Auburn staff in 2015. They also worked together as assistant coaches at LSU from 2002-2003.

A member of national championship staffs at Alabama, Georgia Tech and LSU, Thompson has been a member of four SEC championship coaching staffs, two ACC championship staffs and one Conference USA divisional winner.

Thompson worked at Alabama three different times, from 1999-2000, 2007-08 and 2012-14. He helped Alabama’s 2013 defense to hold opponents to 13.9 points per game, the fifth best mark in Division I college football. His Alabama recruits included Julio Jones, A.J. McCarron, Mark Barron, D.J. Fluker and Trent Richardson.

Thompson worked with Nick Saban at both Alabama and LSU. He was the assistant head coach in charge of recruiting and the tight ends coach when LSU won the 2003 national title. He also coached the defensive line at LSU.

Thompson also logged stints at Tennessee (2009-11), Georgia Tech (1988-98, 2001), and Central Florida, where he was defensive coordinator from 2004-06. In 2005, UCF won the Conference USA Eastern Division title. At Georgia Tech, he held various roles, including defensive line coach, defensive ends coach, tight ends coach, recruiting coordinator and director of football operations. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant with the Yellow Jackets in 1988.

Thompson is a 1987 graduate of The Citadel, where he was a four-year letterwinner, and earned his bachelor’s degree in education and mathematics.

A native of Riverdale, Ga., he is married to the former Mary Ann Guzy. Thompson has three daughters – Allie, Christina and Lane.